The present invention relates to a self-service distribution system for use with articles bearing individual media that contain identification data recorded in machine readable form, and, more particularly, to automatic check-out equipment for use in supermarkets or the like.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,755 for "Self-Service Shop", there is disclosed, as summarized in its abstract, equipment for a self-service shop having a check-out station for determining sales data from machine readable data relating to the type of article and its weight that has been applied to articles purchased by a customer, the equipment comprising a container in which the customer places the articles that he wishes to purchase, the container including means for reading the data applied to each article as it is placed in or removed from the container, and weighing means for indicating the increase and decrease in weight of the container resulting from placing or removing an article therein. The equipment also includes a system for evaluating the data read by the reading means and the weight indication to determine whether the purchased article has been put in or removed from the container and the data correctly read, a signaling system being provided to indicate if either the article data has been correctly read but the article has not been put in or removed from the container or the correct weight has been indicated but the data has not been correctly read. The evaluation system may be in the container or in the check-out station in which case communication between it and the container is by radio.
Unfortunately, the system described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,755 is impractical. In order that an establishment can recoup its capital investment in automatic check-out equipment it is essential that it be used in a high volume situation. But, the patented system requires each customer to have an individual data reading and article weighing cart. This means that a large supermarket, for example, might require 50 to 100 or more such carts. Also, because many products in a market are large in size, the carts must be generously dimensioned to accommodate all the products a customer might elect to purchase during a single market visit. However, unlike the conventional nestable welded wire shopping cart, the cart in the aforesaid patent can not be nested, and this creates a major storage problem when not in use.
A somewhat different approach in a different environment is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,078 for a "Library Circulation Control System." As summarized in the abstract of this patent, there is provided an automated library circulation control system which includes a plurality of remote book processing terminals, and a computer controlling the terminals and processing data between the terminals and the computer to maintain a current inventory of the circulation status of the library books. The system provides for automatic charging of library materials by patrons, record keeping of all library transactions, modification and interrogation of computer data files, intercommunication between the computer and a remote data processor and detection of unauthorized removal of books from the library. Each terminal has a card reader for patron identification, an optical reader for book identification, an electromagnetic activator for magnetizing and demagnetizing a magnetic strip in each book, a printer for printing charge-out information, and a display screen and keyboard for communication between patron and computer. In charging a book, a patron inserts his card in the card reader and places the book in a book tray in the terminal. The optical scanner reads bar coded symbols on a label on the front of the book. The computer compares the card reader and optical scanner input with its data files to determine that the patron is authorized to charge-out books and that the book is authorized to be checked out. If authorization is given, the transaction is recorded by the computer which then enables the printer to provide a print-out of the transaction for the patron.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,078 system is uniquely adapted to library usage but is not applicable to supermarket operation for reasons that should be readily apparent. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a self-service distribution system that is admirably suited for use in a supermarket or similar distribution environment.
Another object is to provide such system with adequate safeguards against misuse either inadvertently or through deliberate action.
A further object is to make such system sufficiently economical to install that its use is economically desirable.